[hb arab]

Originally Posted by hb arab

Bringing this thread back from the dead in hopes of someone being able to provide me some help and guidance…

Background:
I purchased a 2007 (late '06 build) E90 335. The car came from the factory with the sport steering wheel and paddle shifters (option S2XAA). Over the span of the car's existence, one of the car's owners swapped on an M-Performance steering wheel without the LED screen and with paddles, so no additional wiring changes were required. This owner then ended up selling the M-Perf steering wheel and swapped back to a 6MT steering wheel with no paddles, which is how i purchased the car.

Fast forward to today:
I've purchased a used complete sport steering wheel with SSG paddles and MF buttons - I've also made some modifications to the paddles and installed the Nelson Racing Wheel paddles with the re-wire (left pull downshift/right pull up shift). But no matter what i do, i cannot seem to get the paddles to work. MF buttons all work with no issues, paddles have no function. The car goes into DS and i can manually shift up/down from the shifter with no issues.

I don't think it's a coding issue - i don't see why the original owner would bother to remove the coding after swapping on the 6MT steering wheel.

PLEASE HELP! I'm losing my mind. The MF button connector has all 6 wires, that's how i purchased it. Would removing the existing connector wires and replacing them like ZapHood mentioned solve my issue? Is it potentially a bad clockspring connector? Is it possible resistors in the MF buttons like mentioned?

I really appreciate the help!

Bump - anyone?

[Zawislak]

Hi,
I have this steering wheel in my e92 335i lci:

I want to retrofit the steering wheel for the one with paddle shifters:


I just want to make sure if I just need to change the wiring? So I can use the old airbag?
Can i also change it for m sport lci steering wheel and also use the old airbag?

[codeterrorist]

Originally Posted by Zawislak

I just want to make sure if I just need to change the wiring? So I can use the old airbag?
Can i also change it for m sport lci steering wheel and also use the old airbag?

The airbag is not involved in the retrofit in any way. Since you have a sport steering wheel, the airbag will fit other sport steering wheels including the ///M ones (M3 and M Sport).

The wiring change on the paddle plugs is for how the paddles work. Go back to the start of the thread and reread it.

[Zypperneck]

Originally Posted by cheerio

Just did a paddle retrofit today using multifunction buttons from a DCT 335i.
Turns out these multifunction buttons are different to the usual - they include resistor dividers internally to convert the upshift/downshift signals from the paddles to the paddle-shifter voltage input the DCT expects.

I was initially very perplexed when I put everything together, triple-checked my wiring, and the paddles didn't work.

Ended up taking the multifunction buttons apart and modifying them to the standard type. Before/after photos below. I just needed to remove a few resistors and add some bridges. I suppose this is also useful for any madmen retrofitting a DCT into their 335i with SSG paddles.

Cherrio, did you do this instead rewiring steering wheel? I have 2011 335i E93. I just bought a complete wheel with SSG shifters. I bought a blue plug wiring harness from ebay $50 USD, I would prefer to do a soldering job than a cut and splice wiring. Thanks (P.S. I'm a nube, hope I'm posting this correctly)

[cheerio]

Originally Posted by Zypperneck

Cherrio, did you do this instead rewiring steering wheel? I have 2011 335i E93. I just bought a complete wheel with SSG shifters. I bought a blue plug wiring harness from ebay $50 USD, I would prefer to do a soldering job than a cut and splice wiring. Thanks (P.S. I'm a nube, hope I'm posting this correctly)

I'm not sure what you mean by "blue plug wiring harness", is this an external harness that connects the paddles to the clock spring?

Is your car DCT or auto? If it's auto and the steering wheel with paddles is from an auto car, it should just work. If it's DCT and the steering wheel is from a DCT car, it should also just work.

The issue arises when you're trying to mix and match, because the DCT and auto use different signals for the paddles. In that case, you'd have to open up the button modules and either add or remove some resistors.

[Zypperneck]

Originally Posted by cheerio

I'm not sure what you mean by "blue plug wiring harness", is this an external harness that connects the paddles to the clock spring?

Is your car DCT or auto? If it's auto and the steering wheel with paddles is from an auto car, it should just work. If it's DCT and the steering wheel is from a DCT car, it should also just work.

The issue arises when you're trying to mix and match, because the DCT and auto use different signals for the paddles. In that case, you'd have to open up the button modules and either add or remove some resistors.

The "blue plug harness " for connecting the #2 and #4 behind the clock spring to the console.

The wheel came from a 2009 335xi automatic and mine is the 2011 335i steptronic auto.

I did plug the wheel in without any mods at first, because my #2 and #4 have wires in them, just to see if it would work but it didn't. Are you saying it should work without doing any mods? or should i should I follow the mod from this thread?

It is currently plugged in without any modifications and all the MF buttons work but the paddles don't. Thanks

[NjPrince]

These cables saved the day for me. https://ebay.us/JfjhQ5

[teohguangli]

Hello everyone, I have a 2011 BMW E90 320d LCI. I've just bought a M Sport steering wheel with LCI paddles. I am aware that I need to do the resistor mods. From what I understood by reading the thread, the cable is needed on pre-LCI cars. So my question is does my car which is LCI version need the wiring/harness/cables? Thanks in advance.

[Electronics]

So after adding the flippers and the gear selector wire, the paddles didn't work with my original MF housing (while it had 6 wires in the adapter). After re-wiring the 3 pins of each shifter to 4, 6 and the neutral screw, it did work. Therefore, it looks like you need to re-wire some electronics, even if you have 6-wire MF buttons.

[Spilt]

Hoping to revive this thread and fix this issue I’ve had for a couple months now-
Car is a May 2007 335xi, steering wheel is from a 2009 335i.
Used the same mf buttons, the attached images show kind of how I wired it, the same way this thread showed me to.

View post on imgur.com

So- I can upshift perfectly fine, in or out of sports mode. Pushing in for downshifts doesn’t work, but I am getting some kind of input, because when in drive it switches to sport while i hold the paddle in, then back to drive once released (shown in

View post on imgur.com

).

What should I do? This seems really weird and I haven’t seen anything on this specific issue. Any help is appreciated, thanks

[Spilt]

^any ideas?

[codeterrorist]

Originally Posted by gamesfrager

Alright. Thanks to all the info here, I was able to finish this early this week.
Haven't had the chance to post the steps I took.

The bottom line, regardless if you bought a whole steering wheel with paddles and multi function buttons from a wreck etc. or if you collected parts and put them together; you will need to modify the steering wheel wiring.
It's not just the modification to the plug at the bottom of the clockspring that needs to be modified. Again, the steering wheel wiring needs to be adjusted as it was posted by Zaphood earlier. And no need for $100 USD harness, unless you don't want to cut any wires.

So here it is:

1. Remove front trim. To do so, remove the three torx screws in the back
2. Once removed you will have easy access to each paddle shifter plug that connects to each multi function button
3. Grab a towel/microfiber towel and pliers so you don't damage the plug
4. Remove the paddle plugs from the multi function buttons
5. Remove pin #6 on the multi function plug that connects to the clockspring. I only needed to remove this one
6. You can now follow the diagram for the wiring, but here is the description:
7. Each paddle plug has 3 pins, forget pin #1
8. Make a connection from one paddle pin #2 to the other paddle #2 and connect another one in the middle -or something. basically a T wiring (sorry not sure what it's called)
9. Connect this to the airbag ground
10. Do the same T wiring to pin #3 on the paddles and connect this to pin #6 on the multi function plug
11. This wiring concludes the part on the steering wheel

Next is the connection from the clockspring to the gear shifter

1. Take out the plug at the bottom of the clockspring
2. Find pins #2 & #4
3. If they are filled; then remove them (I don't like cutting if I can avoid it)
4. Insert around 1 meter long wire in each pin (2 & 4)
5. Tap one to the purple wire on the shifter harness and the other to the blue one

That's it. Huge thanks to everyone for their posts, comments, and help.

You do need to wire all three pins in each paddle plug and you do need to wire them to position #4 & #6 in the steering wheel plug that connects to the clockspring.

Then both paddles will work while driving. If you find the operation reversed for the paddles; just switch your connection at the gear shifter or go through the hassle of removing the airbag and swapping the wiring on the paddle plugs #1 & #3

Have fun.

[Spilt]

Originally Posted by codeterrorist

You do need to wire all three pins in each paddle plug and you do need to wire them to position #4 & #6 in the steering wheel plug that connects to the clockspring.

Then both paddles will work while driving. If you find the operation reversed for the paddles; just switch your connection at the gear shifter or go through the hassle of removing the airbag and swapping the wiring on the paddle plugs #1 & #3

Have fun.

Finally seeing this, been too busy for car projects lol
I believe I did connect the ground wires to ground, then connected the other 2 wires for each paddle to pins 4 & 6 in the MF. I’m getting the proper response for the upshifts or “pulls” but when I push the paddles, I get input as far as the car switching to sport then back when I release as shown in my previous post. No downshift. Maybe I did wire it wrong? Maybe the plug behind the clockspring is wrong? I’ll look into it tomorrow

[Spilt]

Confirmed pins were wired correctly, still no downshift. I ended up swapping wire #3 from the left paddle only to pin #4 on the MF connector just to test, still no downshift. Must be an issue from behind the clockspring to the actual gear shift? Might try to rewire all that and see how it goes

[codeterrorist]

Originally Posted by Spilt

Confirmed pins were wired correctly, still no downshift. I ended up swapping wire #3 from the left paddle only to pin #4 on the MF connector just to test, still no downshift. Must be an issue from behind the clockspring to the actual gear shift? Might try to rewire all that and see how it goes

If you swap the wires on pins #1 & #3 and see no down shift; it could be the connection at the gear wires or at the plug from the clockspring. That's what I would suspect and double check.

Mine right now are reversed so I need to swap pins #1 & #3 but other than that; they seem to be working. I don't really use them but since I got the steering wheel with them I thought I might as well make them functional.

[Spilt]

Originally Posted by codeterrorist

If you swap the wires on pins #1 & #3 and see no down shift; it could be the connection at the gear wires or at the plug from the clockspring. That's what I would suspect and double check.

Thanks, I’m thinking the same thing. I’ve been trying that cheap ebay kit that kinda splits into the gear wires (like the $100 burger kit). Right now I’m wiring it in myself, we’ll see how that goes

[Spilt]

FIXED! Rewired everything myself, checking that the paddles close the circuit each step with a multimeter. That Ebay “plug and play “ wiring must’ve been the issue. Don’t make the same mistake as me lol.
So glad to finally be done time to pretend I have a manual

[RealJ22]

Originally Posted by cheerio

Just did a paddle retrofit today using multifunction buttons from a DCT 335i.
Turns out these multifunction buttons are different to the usual - they include resistor dividers internally to convert the upshift/downshift signals from the paddles to the paddle-shifter voltage input the DCT expects.

I was initially very perplexed when I put everything together, triple-checked my wiring, and the paddles didn't work.

Ended up taking the multifunction buttons apart and modifying them to the standard type. Before/after photos below. I just needed to remove a few resistors and add some bridges. I suppose this is also useful for any madmen retrofitting a DCT into their 335i with SSG paddles.

This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much.

[VickyK]

Originally Posted by GearHead335i

My experience, hope this helps someone with the same variation of car and wheel;

Car-2009 335i xDrive-non sport package, premium package, cold weather package.

Wheel- M Sport perforated wheel from a 2011 335i M sport. Wheel came with multifunction buttons.

Since the wheel came with multifunction buttons it had the 6 pin connector that plugs into the ring behind the airbag so didn’t need to do anything to get the paddles to connect to the ring.

The paddles tho had to have the “resistor mod” done to them in order for them to act as right side + and left side -. Now I am not an experienced in soldering whatsoever and the directions from BMS say to use a small piece of wire to “short out” the two connectors on the paddles AFTER removing the 2 resistors on each paddle. I tried it this way at first with flux and it was incredibly difficult.

So, instead of using a small piece of wire, I just used a blob of solder to connect the two connections to create the short. This was much easier to do and it has the same effect of a small piece of wire.

Lastly, in terms of the rear connector behind the ring hidden by the bottom plastics is the connection you have to make from there to the shifter assembly at the center console. My car had the 2 yellow wires in pin slots 2 and 4 so I removed those, taped up each of them.

Next I took 2 pins from another spare plug I had laying around, soldered about a foot and a half of wiring to each one and spliced each of them into the two middle wires of the blue plug at the shifter.

Everything is working well, all multifunction buttons work, I can be in just D along with DS and still use the paddles and didn’t have to buy a $100+ plug and play harness.

I was planning all along to just buy the BMS paddle retrofit harness but with it being out of stock for some time now I went this route and I’m glad I did. Hope this helps people wondering the same questions about an e90 lci non paddle car that wants to use an lci m sport +/- wheel.

Hi Mate. Im about to give this a go and in the same spot like yours. Mine is E90 LCI with standard steeringwheel and upgrading to X1 LCI wheel with paddleshift and i did the resistor mod on the LCI paddle shifter unit.


I then moved pin 1 of the paddle shift to pin2[center] on both left and right paddles. Did you do the pin swap?
Only after the pin swap I can confirm there is contact closure happening on Pin 4 and 6 on the Multifunction Button Connector when i flick the shifters. Note: im assuming ground on the multifunction button connector to be pin3.


About to try this in the car, but i have 1 question to you folks: The ground connection on the Multifunction button [i think pin3], is that the same with the grounding point on the steering wheel? Picture for your attention.

[VickyK]

Completed the retrofit, and i can confirm for LCI cars swapping with LCI steering wheel with paddle shift, there is no additional harness or buttons that needed to be purchased, like what GearHead335i said. Everything from the new wheel will work, after doing the resistor mod and pin swap. Just wired my own wires from steering to gearshift and thats it. Enjoying the ride more now.

[Adi_Mek]

Please help me with retrofitting paddle shifters for my car BMW e84 LCI 8HP
I have the connection under steering wheel with yellow/balck and yellow, pin 2 and 4, but I cannot find the wire from the shifter because is not the same like PRE LCI...

THANK YOU FOR ANY ADVICE